US Patent 11021132 Rear occupant protection apparatus and method of controlling the same

Disclosed are a rear occupant protection apparatus and a control method thereof for controlling a seat belt, or an airbag, based on the state of a rear occupant and a vehicle driving environment to safely protect the rear occupant. The rear occupant protection apparatus includes a first monitoring unit configured to monitor a state of a rear occupant, a second monitoring unit configured to monitor a surrounding situation of a subject vehicle, and a controller configured to control the first and second monitoring units, wherein the controller controls the first and second monitors units to monitor the state of the rear occupant and the surrounding situation of the subject vehicle when the rear occupant wears a seat belt, and controls the seat belt seat belt worn by the rear occupant based on at least one of the state of the rear occupant or the surrounding situation of the subject vehicle.